Among established alloys having permanent magnet properties are Fe-Al-Ni-Co alloys known as Alnico, Co-Fe-V alloys known as Vicalloy, and Fe-Mo-Co alloys known as Remalloy. These alloys possess desirable magnetic properties; however, they contain substantial amounts of cobalt whose rising cost in world markets causes concern. Moreover, high cobalt alloys tend to be brittle, i.e., to lack sufficient cold formability for shaping, e.g., by cold drawing, rolling, bending, or flattening.
Relevant with respect to the invention are the book by R. M. Bozorth, Ferromagnetism, Van Nostrand, 1959, pp. 34-37, pp. 236-238, pp. 382-385, and p. 417; the paper by W. S. Messkin et al., "Experimentelle Nachprufung der Akulovschen Theorie der Koerzitivkraft", Zeitschrift fur Physik, Vol. 98 (1936), pp. 610-623; the paper by H. Masumoto et al., "Characteristics of Fe-Mo and Fe-W Semihard Magnet Alloys", Journal of the Japanese Institute of Metals, Vol. 43 (1979), pp. 506-512; and the paper by K. S. Seljesater et al., "Magnetic and Mechanical Hardness of Dispersion Hardened Iron Alloys", Transactions of the American Society for Steel Treating, Vol. 19, pp. 553-576. These references are concerned with Fe-Mo binary and Fe-Mo-Co ternary alloys, their preparation, and their mechanical and magnetic properties. Phase diagrams of Fe-Mo-Ni alloys appear in W. Koster, "Das System Eisen-Nickel-Molybdan", Archiv fur das Eisenhuttenwesen, Vol. 8, No. 4 (October 1934), pp. 169-171, and in Metals Handbook, American Society for Metals, Vol. 8, p. 431.